The latest iteration of the flagship Fenix outdoor watch includes a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the only tool required to venture almost any location and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline maps of the world can automatically guide you return to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, SOS messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans including various quotas of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you just head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth via text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, though as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically send a link to chosen contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the real position has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is essential to note that orbital coverage is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with options available via the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
This is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to provide the features. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with all brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.
